Georgia Republican Runoff: What to Watch

Candidate for U.S. Senate Rep. Jack Kingston, R-Ga., poses for a photo with 2014 Miss Georgia Sweet Onion Sarah DeLoach at the Law Enforcement Cookout at Wayne Dasher’s pond house in Glennville, Ga., on April 17, 2014.

It’s Republican primary runoff day in Georgia.

The marquee race is the U.S. Senate contest between businessman David Perdue and Rep. Jack Kingston, who were the top vote-getters in a May primary that produced no majority-vote winner.

The winner of today’s second-round Republican vote will face Democrat Michelle Nunn, who formerly led the volunteer-service organization Points of Light and whose father, Sam Nunn, represented Georgia in the Senate for a quarter-century. Republican Sen. Saxby Chambliss is retiring.

Perdue is running as a political outsider and has touted a business career that includes leading Pillowtex Corp. and Dollar General Corp. He’s provided at least $1.75 million in personal funds to his campaign, including $500,000 on July 11.

“I’m the true conservative in the race, the outsider,” Perdue said in a candidate debate earlier this month.

Kingston says that he’s established a proven conservative record after 11 terms in the House representing southeastern Georgia.

“I’m a tested, consistent conservative,” Kingston said at the candidate debate.

Both candidates say they support a “fair tax” that would replace the income, payroll and estate levies with a national sales tax.

Outside groups active in the race include the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, which helped Kingston finish second to Perdue in the first-round primary and is also aiding him in the runoff. The Chamber has run television ads promoting Kingston.

Its political action committee donated to Kingston’s campaign during the runoff campaign, as did its chief political strategist, Scott Reed, and national political director Rob Engstrom. Kingston has also drawn support from many of his House colleagues and establishment political action committees.

Polling stations close at 7 p.m. eastern time. Click here for a chart of the May Republican primary results in all 159 counties. Here are the results in the 15 counties that cast the most votes in that election: